20 Outdoor Patio Plants to Enhance Your Backyard Space
The best sun lovers and shade dwellers for a patio that's always in bloom.
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As you spend more time outdoors enjoying the warmer weather, extend your garden to where you hang out the most: your patio or porch! The best outdoor patio plants are low-maintenance and thrive in containers, window boxes, or hanging baskets. That’s right—there’s no need for in-ground gardening. Outdoor patio plants not only enhance the aesthetic appeal of your space but can also attract pollinators such as hummingbirds and bees, creating a seamless transition from your outdoor living area to your garden.
When shopping for outdoor patio plants, pay attention to the amount of sun or shade your patio receives throughout the day. Full sun is considered six or more hours of direct sunlight, while part sun is about half that. The afternoon sun is the most intense, so plants that prefer part sun typically do better if they receive only morning sun. Don’t try to cheat: plants that need full shade will fry under strong rays while sun-loving plants won’t bloom well in the dark!
It's also important to know that outdoor patio plants in containers are more prone to dehydration than those planted in the ground, so you’ll need to implement a more frequent watering schedule during the summer months. Nutrients tend to leach out of pots quickly, so fertilize your containers regularly with an all-purpose plant food, following the label instructions to keep them healthy and lush.
No matter how much space you have, whether it's a city balcony or a sprawling backyard, outdoor patio plants can help your alfresco space look its best. Read on for our 20 favorite outdoor patio plants to enhance your patio.
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Star jasmine is a low-maintenance plant that's beloved for its sweet scent. It likes to climb, so plant it either against a wall or allow it to scale a trellis or pillar, so it can reach its full, 5-foot-tall height. This plant will require fertilizing once a month in the offseason to maximize healthy growth come summer. It does best in USDA Hardiness Zones 8 to 10.
Fragrant and beautiful, lavender is a great choice for an outdoor patio plant, as it thrives in containers. Use lavender to border your patio or plant one among a group of annuals for a pop of purple. Lavender plants do best in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 10.
The aptly named butterfly bush is a pollinator favorite. Its vibrant purple blooms typically grow to be about four or five feet tall. These plants require full sun and do best in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 9.
A bit unruly, verbena is great for those looking to add a wildflower appearance to their patio's surroundings. Because it's a perennial, this plant will require some deadheading and maintenance in the offseason. Verbena requires full sun and does best in USDA Zones 7 to 10.
The contrast between lantana's bright florals and deep green foliage makes this outdoor patio plant a perfect choice for season-long color. Plant this annual on its own in a container to place alongside your other greenery, or group with other annuals in your flower boxes for a vibrant display. This plant prefers partial to mostly full sun, but it may need extra watering in bright sun and heatwaves.
To invite some cottage vibes into your patio, plant a hanging container with English ivy. This hardy plant grows quickly and can provide ample shade once its vines wrap around a pergola or overhead trellis.
One of the most popular annuals, petunias do just as well when planted in a container or window box as they do in the ground. Incorporate the color of your choice (they're often available in reds, yellows, whites, and purples), into your outdoor patio plant display for a vibrant mix.
Similar to trailing star jasmine, this outdoor patio plant boasts the same beautiful white flowers, but in a tree-like form instead. The support is already built in! This plant is great for privacy when placed in a line, and its flowers bloom from May to June.
Caladiums are grown for their handsome heart-shaped leaves in shades of pink and green. In warm climates, these are perennial plants that'll return year after year. But in colder parts of the country, they’re treated as annuals—you can also lift the bulbs after a frost, save them, and replant next year.
The Boston fern looks amazing in hanging pots and tall planters. It's inexpensive and will look good all summer well into late fall if you keep it watered. Give this outdoor patio plant part sun, shielding it from the intense afternoon light. After you buy one, repot it into a larger container to encourage its roots to spread.
Available in every color from hot pink to deep purple, this annual flower drapes nicely out of planters, window boxes, and hanging baskets. You also won’t have to deadhead it or remove spent blooms to keep it flowering all summer. Give this outdoor patio plant full sun.
You may be familiar with wax begonias, which bloom reliably all summer long. But rex begonias are known for their beautiful foliage colors, rather than the flowers. Look for the Jurassic variety, a type of rex hybrid, which has dramatic color and striking leaf shapes. Give them full shade.
The prolific white, sunny yellow, or bright orange flowers of the black-eyed Susan vine will cheer you up all summer long. This vigorous climbing plant needs a large pot and trellis to scale, and it needs full sun.
If you’re looking for a pretty shade plant, the torenia has dark purple, pink, or white flowers with yellow throats. The tubular shape means hummingbirds can’t resist this plant! Give this outdoor patio plant full shade, although it will tolerate some morning sun.
This tropical vine has shiny dark green foliage and hot pink, red, or white blooms that keep coming all season. In warm climates, it’s considered a perennial. Give your mandevilla a trellis to climb and full sun, but offer it some afternoon shade in hot regions.
No outdoor patio plant is more sturdy than an old-school marigold. Pests don’t bother them, they come in many shades of yellow, orange, and cream, and they bloom until the first hard freeze. Give marigolds full sun on your outdoor patio.
Cuphea has orange or red tubular-shaped flowers that hummingbirds adore. It’s a sun-lover and a fast-grower, so give it plenty of space to stretch out. It does benefit from some afternoon shade in hot climates. Keep it fed for summer-long blooms.
Sweet alyssum is a low-growing plant that drapes beautifully over stone walls and out of pots and window boxes. Its tiny white, pink, or purple flowers have a honey-like scent that pollinators love. Give this outdoor patio plant part to full sun.
If you’re looking for a different type of outdoor patio plant, try growing a citrus tree. Many dwarf varieties, such as calamondin, grow well in pots, and they’re so pretty with fragrant white blooms and fruit. Citrus trees are happiest in full sun, and you can bring the plants indoors when temperatures drop.
Angelonia has spikes of flowers that resemble snapdragons in shades ranging from pure white, purple, and pink. They offer a nice, upright accent to planters, though some types are more sprawling. Give them full sun.
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